Type-writing machine.



H. 0. FORD. TYPE WRITING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1908.

Paterited Nov. 12,1912.

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WITNESSES.-

H. C. FORD TYPE WRITING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. '1, 1998.

Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

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HANNIBAL C. FORD, F SYRACUSE, NEW

' COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY; A CQRPOMTION OF NEW JERSEY.

TYPE-WBITING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

@ Patented Nov.12,1912.

Application filed-April 7, 1908. Serial No. 425,886.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be.it known that I, IIANNIBAL C. F 01in, citizen of the United States, and resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of Xew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-\Vriting Machines, float-ion.

My invention relates to typewriting inachines and it has for its principal object to provide an improved back spacing device for the carriages of such machines.

My invention consists in certain features of which the following 1s a speciof construction .and combinations and arrangements of parts, all of which "will. be fully set forth herein and particularly pointed out in the claims.

5 In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 .is a fragmentary front elevation. partly broken away, of parts f a typewriting machine having my invention applied thereto, the back spacing device being shown in normal position. Fig. 2 is a view similar to 1 but with parts sectioned away and showing the back spacing key in itsdepressed positionin full lines, and in broken lines showing the back spacing key slightly depressed below its normal position. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1, parts of the typewrit-ing machine be ing shown in section and parts broken away.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on an.

enlarged scale through the back spacing pawl and parts on which said pawl is 1nount= ed. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary rear elevation showing a modification of the invention. Fig. 6 shows, a modified form ofthe back spacerpawl. Fig. Tie a fragmentary front elevation of another modification.

My invention is applicable to t-ypewriting machines generally, but. I have here shown it applied to that form of typewriter in which the key and type actions are mounted in the stationary framework and in which the paper 15 carried by a carriage that moves transversely across the machine. As the con.-

struction of these typewriters-is well understood I have illustrated only so-much there of as is essential to invention. i

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4: lIlClllSiY8, I have shown a feed-rack 1 which is mounted on or forms part of a paper carriage, which paper carriage may be of any known or suit-able construction. Two large gears'i and 3 mesh an under-standing ofiny.

geared to t-hemechanism that controls themotion of the carriage. The escapcinent mechanism in machines of this character is commonly connected with the carriage in such a way that said carriage may move backward, which is usuallj fro-m left toright, withoutaflecting the escapement mechanism, the connections ordinarily including some'form of ratchet clutch or of pawl and ratchet mechanism. lhe gears 2 and 3 are loosely mounted on ashaft at which in turn is supported at or near its ends by two frame plates 5 (F igs. 1 and the forward end'only of which is shown in the drawing. The'se frame'plates may be supported in' any suitable manner from the re mainderof the stationary framework of the machine. Said framework also includes a. base part having a back plate 7 and a front plate 8 (Fig. 3). A rock shaft 10 is pivoted at its rear and front ends respectively in the frame plates? and 8 and at its front end said shafthas projecting therefrom an arm 11 to which is pivoted the lower end. of the stem 12 of the back spacer key 13.- A guide arm or link 14, parallel with the arm 11. is

, i ted to the upper part of the key stem 12 and is also pivoted on a stud 15 securedto roan, sssrenos 'ro UNION TYPEWRIIEE said gears may be the front'pl'ate 8. The arm 14; is here shown double, the two branches thereof being connected at one end by a yoke piece 16 and'at the other end by a pin 17 by means of'which the arm is pivoted to the key stem. This double formation of the guide arm is for the purpose of providing a wide bearing for said guide arm to preventsmotion of the free end thereof in a. front and back direction. At its rear end the shaft 10 has a returning spring 18*;c'oiled about it and connected at one end to the shaft and at the other end to a screw 19 threaded into the frame plate 7.

,the tension of this springbeingexerted to raise the key 13 to its normal position. An upright arm 21' is rigidly mono-radon the rock shaft 10 and said-arm haspivoted to its upper free end one end of a link :22. the other end of which is pivoted to a pawl :23 having a point or tooth-ll which normally stands directly beneath the notch between two of the teeth of the gear wheel. 2,. but out of engagement with said gear wheel. The

link 22 may be called a fioat-ing link, inas- "much as it is pivoted at both its ends to movable parts and it, therefore, has no power to guide the motion of the pawl 23. The pawl 23 has a pinand slot connection with a frame piece 25, which, in the present instance consists of a bracket or stud projecting toward ,the rear of themachine from the forward one of the frame plates 5.. As shown-in Fig.

4 this stud has its rear part reduced and a roller 26'.is journaled on said reduced rear part and said roller' plays in a slot 27 'in the pawl. The rear end of the stud 25 is still further reduced toreceive a washer 28 which retains the roller 26 and pawl 23 in place,

. stud may be moved to andsaid washer is 1n turn retained in position by a nut 29 threaded on the reduced end of the stud 25. The pawl is normally m'aintained'in the position shown in Fig. 1 by a spring 31 coiled about a stud or screw 32 secured tothe pawl and one end of said spring is hooked under the pawl and the other, end bears against the supporting stud or bracket 25. In order toprovide for adjustingthe pawl the forward end of the stud is reduced to form'a shoulder and the reduced' end is flattened as shown in Fig. 4 tofit into an elongated horizontally disposed plate 5, the construction being such that the different positions in the slot. Said stud is retained in the position to which i-t is adjusted by a washer 34 reduced forward end of the stud. The slot 27 is disposed and anut 35, which nut is threaded onto the at a nangle to the line of motion of the point 24 of the pawl when said point is in engagement with the rack. The

13 is depressed the arm arrangement is such that this slot acts as a camwhich cams the-point of the pawl along. after said point has engaged therack. .It

will also be observed that themotion of the pawl at the pin and slot connection is of much greater extent the pawl. ing lever, its motion after the po1nt of the pawl has moved into engagement with the rack being nearly what pawl were pivoted at a point between the end 24 of the pawl and the shaft 4, w1th this difi'er'ence, however, that this ,theoretical pivot point of thefloating lever moves upward as the lever is operated, thus giving than at the point of the point of the pawl an accelerated motion link 22. I When the key 21 .is moved toward right-hand end of the with relation to the the left, turning the pawl toward the left. been slightly depressed the parts are moved to the position shown in broken lines 1n Flg. 2. In this part of the motion the pawl 23 turns about the roller 26 as a pivot, the free end 24 of the pawl moving into the interdental space in the gear wheel 2. the

' the end of the stud 2 keyat thisinstant tends to force the free end to the interdental space in the gear'wheel and thus prevents overthrow v slot 33 formed in the forward frame- The pawl acts as a'sort of float-- it would be if said.

- the pawl When the key has of the pawl 1 of the gear wheel and- 0f the platen By an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2 'it will be seen that the motion of the pawl is resisted byabout the roller on.

the spring-31,which spring is flexed when.

is released this spring and the spring 18 rethe pawl is moved bodily and when the key sto'rethe parts to their normal positions, the

spring 33holding the awl in such a position that the lowerend oi? the slot is in contact with the 'roller"26 and the.freeend of the pawl is out of engagementnvith the wheel.

moves toward the j I The slot 27 is so formed as. to permit the pawl to move whatever distance is necessary the carriage back one letter in order to step space distance and to permit the escapement to catch it and to'retain it in its stepped back position, The precise extent of movement necessary 'for this purpose will of course depend upon the character of thefconne'ctions between the carriage and the escapement, but in most instances the motion would be a little more than a letter space distance.

Moreover the slot, 27. is so designed that the motion impart'edlto' the carriage is an. accelerated movement, the carriage starting off with a low velocity relative to that of the key 13 and the velocity increasing as the key -is depressed. .This acceleration in the motion of the carriage renders the touch on the key 13 easier and softer than. it would be without such acceleration.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a pawl36 connect ed to the link 22 and "having a slot 37 .in which theroller 26 is arranged. This figure shows the .invention applied to the straight feedrack 38 of a typewriter. In this formof ,the invention the slot 37 is straight and is perpendicular'to a line drawnfrom the point '39. of the pawl through the center of the roller 2 6'when said roller is in the lower end of the slot.

In Fig. 6 I have shown another formof 41 having a point 42 and a slot 43. The link-22 is designedto beconnected with this pawl at 44 and .areturning spring at 45. The slot 43has its lower end nearly vertical and 'its'uppe'r' end' at anangle to the lower In Figs. 5'and 6 I have drawn an are a. through the center of the slot and an arc bthrough the center of the lower end of the I upper end of the slot,

first engages an interdental the this change in' velocity is Leanne? each ofthese arcs having its center in the point' 'of the pawl. It will be noted in each instance that the are a at the lower end of thef'slot liesfin'e'arly in die same direction as the islot,. whereas the "1' ata are 6 at the upper end of t considerable angle to the di bf the slot. at that point. It results iron this construction that when the point of the pawl space in the the motion of pawl imparts only a very .slow motion tothe whereas in'the latter pa'rtof the. stroke this" motion is more rapid, dueflto the greater angle between the slot'and the are 5. the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5 gradual whereas in the form shown'in Fig; 6 the change is moreabrupt.

By an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2 it will seen that the slot '27 shown in said figures is at its lower angles to a line drawn from the lowerend pfsaid slot to the point 2-1 of the pawl than gear or rackgthe first part of 7 "It is at its upper end to a line drawn from i said upperen'd to willbe seen that this slot gives a gradual point 47 similar to the point of the pawl. It

acceleration to the carriage In Fig. 7 I have shown the invention to which another formof the pawl 46 has a ,pawls but said pawl 46 is not slotted'.- In

I illustration of the this instance the pin is secured to the pawl instead of to the framework and said pawl Elays between roken away in order not to obscure the pawl itself. The pawl 46- has' a. pin 51 projecting therefrom in both directlons and said pin plays. in a curved lot52 in' the plate 48 and in a simia slot in the plate 49. The pawl is prowith a returning spring 53 between the pin 51 and the point at which the link pivoted tosaid pawl. The slots 52 are rmed that when the pawl is operated t turns about the until the-point 47 moves-into an interdental spac in the rack and thereafter the pawl is indlted'endwise, carrying the rack with it. i It ill be understood that, in a typewriting achine in which the key and type acove across a stationary platen, the rack 1 would probably. be mounted on a relatively stationary partfan-d the pawl a frame piece of the carriage. It will be notedthat the back spacer pawl is mounted on .a'frame piece-by a pin and,

. slot connection and thatsaid pawl has no other positive connection with the frame piece. In all am aware the other part which was itself movably'mountprior back spacers of which I tion instead pointof the pawl and to the rack,-

end more nearly at right the points of the other two parallel stationary plates 8 and 49, the latter of which is shown 1 pin 51 as a center positive stroke and pawl was mounted. on some 3 consisting of a lever, or lever armor other pivoted device. In some instances in the prior art these pawls have had a pin and slot connection with the framework for the purpose of guiding the free end of the pawl. but in my on the frameworkby a pin and slot connecof being mounted on some other part which is movably mounted on the framework. It will .be perceived that my construction is simpler than those heretofore produced. Where in the claims I refer to the pawl as being by a pin and slot connection, I mean to dis- -tinguish from those construction in which the pawl is mounted on some other movably mounted part and is merely guided by a pin and slot connection.

Various changes other than those ,de-

scribed maybe made inthe details of-conconstruction the pawl is mounted mounted on a frame piece slruction and arrangement without depa'rt-- mg from my invention.

What I claim as by Letters Patent is In aback spacer for the carriage of'atypewriting machine, the combination'of a rack, a frame piece, a back mounted solely on said frame piece by a pin and cam slot connection, and means for actuating said pawl, the pawlat said pin and slot connection motion greater'than that imparted to therack by the pawl, and said slot acting to' cam the pawl along when said pawl is in engagement with the rack. I

2. In a' back spacer for the carriage of a typewriting machine, the combination of a rack, a frame piece,

pin and slot connection,- said slot standing at an angle to the direction of motion of the point'of the'pawl when in engagement with said rack, and the pin normally standing in one end of the slot'a'nd acting as 'a pivot about which the pawl turns into and out of engagement with the rack, and means for actuating said pawl.

3. In a. back spacer for typewriting machine, the rack, a. frame piece, mounted solely on sai combination of a a back spacer pawl d frame piece by a pin and slot connection, and means for actuating said pawl, the slot being so disposed that the contact of the pin with one end'of said slot arrests the pawl at the end of its jams saidpawl into the rack to prevent overthrow.

4. In a back spacer for the carriage-of a typewriti'ng machine, the combination of a rack, a frame piece, a back spacer pawl mounted on said frame piece by a pm and slot comlection, and meansfor operating said '-pawl,jthe pin normally standing 111 one end of the slot acting as pivot about havlng an extent of new and desire to secure spacer pawl a back spacer pawl mounted solely on said frame piece by a the carriage of' a' which the pawl turns into and out of engageinentwith the rack and said pin 00- operating with the other end of the slot when the pawl is operated to jam the pawl into the rack to prevent overthrow of'sa-id rack.

5. In a back spacer for the-carriage of a typewriting machine, the combination of a rack, a, frame piece, a back spacer pawl mounted solely on said frame piece by a pin and slot connection, means for operating said pawl comprising afloating link pivoted 'to the pawl at such a point that the pin and slot connection is between said pointand the tooth of the pawl, and a returning spring connected with the pawl between the pin and slot connection and said point at which the link is pivoted to the pawl.

6. In a back spacer for the carriage of a' typewriting machine, the combination of a rack, a frame piece,-a floating backspacer pawl mounted on said frame piece by a pinand cam slot connection, and means for operating said pawl, the slot lying at an angle to the direction of motion of the point of the pawl 'and beingso formed as to cause saidqpawlto'movesaid rack with an accelerated velocity.

7. ,In a back spacer for the carriage of a typ'ewriting machine, the combination of a rack, a back spacer pawl having a cam slot therein,'said slot extending at an angle to the line of motion of the point of the pawl, .a back spacer key, connections .be-

' rack, a bac spacer pawl having a cam slot- 3 gagernent with the rack, a returning spring therein, aframe piece having a pin lying in said slot, said pin'lying normally in one end of the slot and serving as a' pivotabout which the pawl turns into and out of en- :for said pawl, and a back spacer key and connections for operating said pawl the I slotted part of said pawl having a greater 'extentof motion than that imparted to the 'point of the pawl when in engagement with the rack.

9. In a back spacer for the carriage of a typewriting machine, the combination ,of a rack, a back spacer pawl having a cam slot therein, a frame piece having a pin lying in said slot, said pin lying normally in one end of the slot and serving as a pivot about which the pawl turnsinto' and out of engagement'with the rack, a returning spring for said pawl, and a. back spacer key and connections for operating said pawl, said slot being so formed as to give anaccelerated motion to said rack when said key is operated. f

:10. In a back spacer for the carriage of a typewriting machine,'the combination of a rack, .a frame-piece, a back spacer pawl mounted on said framepiece' by a pin and slot connection and having a point adapted to engage said rack, a back spacer key, and connections to'said pawl, said connections including a floating link which acts directly on said pawl in such a way that at the first part of the key-depression said pawl turns about, said pin with a motion wholly rotatory, said pawl acting during such first part of the key depression after the fashion of a lever of the first order to move said point into engagement with the rack and said slot thereafter acting in conjunction with said link to propel said pawl in a motion of translation whereby the rack ismoved;

'11. In a back spacer for the carriage of a typewriting machine, the combination of a rack, a frame-piece, a back spacer pawl mounted on said frame-piece by a' pin and slot connectionand having a point adapted to engage said rack, a returning spring for said pawl, a back spacer key,,and-connections to said pawl, said connections including; a floating link which acts directly on said pawl in such a way that at the first part of the key-depression said pawl turns about said pin with a motion wholly rotatory, said pawl acting during such first part of thekeyde pression after the fashion of a} lever of the first order to move said point into engagement with therack and said slot thereafter acting in conpmction with said link-to propel saidpawl in a motion oftranslation whereby the rack is moved.

Signed at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, .and .State. of New York, this 2d day of'A'pril, A. D. 1908. t HANNIBAL O. FORD ,IWitnesses:

' E. M. STORMS, I E. L. .SXYDER. 

